Expanding shoe-form.



' W. O. RICHARDSON. EXPANDING SHOE FORM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 8, 1912.

JLUMBIA PLANOHRAIL C0,, \VAQHINGTON. u. c.

Patented May 6, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFIQE.

EXPANDING SHOE-FORM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1912. Serial No. 702,446.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVILLARD C. RICHARD- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saugus, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Expanding Shoe-Forms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shoe forms, and has for its particular object to provide a device adapted for insertion within a shoe, that can be expanded to insure a tight fit, and thereby keep the shoe in perfect form and prevent wrinkling and cracking, due to collapsing.

Another object is to provide means for expanding the shoe form and which also prevents its displacement within the shoe.

These and other objects hereinafter set forth are attained by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the improved device. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing in dotted lines the contracted position, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank from which the form is constructed.

Similar reference numerals in all of the figures designate like parts.

The body of the form is preferably cut from a sheet of suitable thin resilient or flexible material with an outline of the blank shown in Fig. 3, and is then bent or shaped to conform to the interior of the sides and top of a shoe. Said blank is cut with a central notch 5, which, after the blank is shaped as above described, allows of the expansion and contraction of the rear ends or wings 6 of .the side walls of the form. The form is normally shaped in the contracted position, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the portions of the walls that are expanded and contracted, commence preferably and approximately near the greatest width of the form. As thus shaped and formed, with the contracted rear portion, the body of the form can be easily adjusted to the interior of a shoe and be forced well forward toward the toe to properly expand the front end of the shoe, and for use with shoes having box toes, the pattern or form is cut away at the toe end as indicated in full lines and a suitable reinforcing band 7 is riveted or otherwise suitably secured along the edges where. the portion is cut away.

It is understood that even when the entire toe of the form is used, the same is preferably reinforced, said reinforcement in both cases preventing the collapsing of the toe end of the form, and stiffening the same to retain its shape.

To retain the form securely in its place, well forward in the shoe, a U-shaped spring extension 8 is provided, the same embodying side arms 9 and a heel contacting portion 10, which is preferably formed integral with said-side arms, said portion 10 projecting upwardly and downwardly from the rear ends or connection of said arms 9 and at thelower end is slightly curved to conform to the counter of the shoe. This extension 8 is slidably secured to the body of the form, its arms 9 passing through loops or keepers 11 suitably secured on the inside and adjacent the rear ends of the wings 6, and said arms at their free ends are pointed, and bent slightly outward as indicated at 12, so that, with any adjustment of the spring extension, the points of the arms will engage the wings and retain the extension in position.

The arms 9 pass loosely through the keepers 11, having sufficient clearance therein whereby they can be sprung slightly toward each other to release the points, so that the extension can be moved inwardly and allow the form to contract.

In operation, the form is inserted in the shoe in the contracted position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing, the extension is then forced backwardly into contact with the heel, thereby drawing the arms of the extension through the keepers and expanding the wings of the body portion into engagement with the sides of the shoe.

lVith the above described construction, a simple, inexpensive and easily adjustable shoe form is provided, a form that will insure a tight fit within the shoe and whose rear portion can be made high to support the uppers of the shoe as well as the foot port-ion.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A shoe form, comprising an expansible body-portion having rearwardly extending integral wings, and an extension for engaging the heel and provided with integral arms slidably connected to said wings and adapted to expand and contract them during its backward and forward movement.

2. A shoe form comprising an expansible Patented May 6,1913.

body portion, and a U shaped heel engaging means having its free ends slidably and directly connected thereto for positively expanding and contracting said body portion during its adjustment.

3, A shoe form, comprising an eXpansible body-portion having rearwardly extending integral wings and an extension for engaging the heel and having integral arms with pointed terminals slidably connected to said wings and adapted to expand and contract them during its backward and forward movement, said pointed terminals adapted to engage the inner surfaces of said wings to retain said extension in its adjusted positions.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of PatentI,

4. A shoe form, comprising an expansible body-portion, having rearwardly extending integral wings, an extension forvengaging the heel and having integral arms andmeans for slidably connecting said arms to the wings, said arms being provided with means at their free ends to engage said wings to retain said extension in its adjusted positions.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLAR'D C. RICHARDSON. W'itne'sses CHARLES W. Lovn'r'r, VINCENT R. ABBOTT.

Washington, D. G. 

